Panty girdle and stocking support



United States Patent Office 3,478,748 Patented Nov. 18, 1969 3,478,748 PANTY GIRDLE AND STOCKING SUPPORT Knut L. Bjorn-Larsen, 128 S. Hacienda Ave., Glendora, Calif. 91740 Filed Jan. 12, 1967, Ser. No. 608,829 Int. Cl. A41c 1/02; A41f 11/00; A41b 9/04 US. Cl. 128535 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A panty girdle having leg portions terminating at their lower ends in annular stocking-supporting portions of stretchable, elastic, knitted fabric provided on their inner surfaces with inwardly protruding, elastomeric friction elements frictionally engageable with the outer surfaces of the tops of stockings encasing a wearers legs to support the stockings with the inner surfaces of the stocking tops in direct engagement with the wearers legs.

Cross-reference to related application Ser. No. 494,822, filed by me on Oct. 11, 1965.

Background of the invention My Patent No. 3,253,599, issued May 31, 1966, relates to a stocking-supporting garment, such as a panty girdle, having a body portion adapted to encase the hips and abdomen of a wearer and to extend upwardly at least to the wearers waist, having a closed crotch portion connected to the body portion, and having two leg portions connected to the body and crotch portions and adapted to encase at least the upper thighs of the wearer. The leg portions terminate at their lower ends in inner and outer annular stocking-supporting portions of stretchable, elastic, knitted fabric. The inner stocking-supporting portions are provided on their outer surfaces with outwardly protruding, elastomeric friction elements frictionally engageable with the inner surfaces of the tops of stockings encasing the wearers legs. The outer stocking-supporting portions are provided on their inner surfaces with inwardly protruding, elastomeric friction elements frictionally engageable with the outer surfaces of the stocking tops. Thus, the stocking tops are gripped between the outwardly protruding friction elements on the inner stocking-supporting portions and the inwardly protruding friction elements on the outer stocking-supporting portions. With this construction, the stockings are securely held in place in a positive manner even during strenuous physical activity on the part of the wearer.

Objects of the invention A primary object of the invention is to provide a stocking-supporting garment of the foregoing general nature wherein each leg portion is provided with only a single annular, stretchable, elastic, stocking-supportingportion provided on its inner surface with inwardly protruding, elastomeric friction elements frictionally engageable with the outer surface of the top of a stocking to support the stocking on the wearers leg, with the inner surface of the stocking top in direct engagement with the wearers leg.

The foregoing construction, by providing each leg portion of the panty girdle, or similar garment, with only a single stocking-supporting portion, minimizes the bulk of the garment in the regions of the stocking tops. Consequently, the stocking-supporting portions of the garment of the invention produce no unsightly bumps or lines of demarcation even under smooth, close fitting dresses, or other outer garments, which is an important feature.

ments frictionally engageable with only the outer surfaces of the stocking tops, provide entirely adequate support for the stockings even during strenuous physical activity on the part of the wearer, which is an important feature of the invention.

Another and important object of the invention is to provide a stocking-supporting garment of the foregoing character wherein the annular stocking-supporting portions are formed of stretchable, elastic, knitted fabric having a relatively fine mesh and include inserts of stretchable, elastic, knitted fabric having a relatively coarse mesh, such inserts interrupting the relatively-fine-mesh parts of the stocking-supporting portions.

Another object is to provide a stocking-supporting garment wherein the inserts mentioned are located on either the inner or the outer sides of the leg portions of the garment, and are preferably located on both the inner and outer sides of the leg portions.

The foregoing inserts have greater stretchability than the remaining parts of the stocking-supporting portions of the garment. Consequently, rolling of the stockingsupporting portions outwardly and upwardly to permit positioning of the stocking tops thereunder is greatly facilitated, which is an important feature of the invention.

Another object is to provide a garment wherein the inserts on the Outer sides of the leg portions taper upwardly to points considerably above the lower ends of the leg portions, and wherein the insert on the inner sides of the leg portions extend upwardly to and are connected to the crotch portion of the garment, the crotch portion preferably being formed of the same material as, or a material similar to, the inserts.

The foregoing objects, advantages, features and results of the present invention, together with various other objects, advantages, features and results thereof which will be evident to those skilled in the art in the light of this disclosure, may be achieved with the exemplary embodiment of the invention described in detail hereinafter and illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

Description of the drawing In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a stockingsupporting panty girdle which embodies the invention in place on a wearer;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary elevational view showing the inner surface of annular stocking-supporting portion of the garment of the invention; and

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view taken as indicated by the arrowed line 33 of FIG. 2.

Detailed description of the invention The numeral 10 designates generally a stocking-supporting panty girdle of the invention in place on a wearer 12. More particularly, the panty girdle 10 includes a body portion 14 which extends downwardly from the wearers waist 16 over the wearers abdomen and hips. The body portion 14 terminates in two leg portions 18 which encase at least the upper portions of the thighs 20 of the wearer 12. A crotch portion 22 is connected to the body and leg portions 14 and 18 and prevents the panty girdle 10 from climbing upwardly toward the wearers waist 16 during physical movement.

The leg portions 18 terminate at their lower ends in annular stocking-supporting portions 24 adapted to overlie and engage the outer surfaces of the tops of stockings, not shown, encasing the legs of the wearer 12. The annular stocking-supporting portions 24 will be described in more detail hereinafter and preferably include elastic bands 26 at their lower ends.

The leg portions 18 of the panty girdle include inner and outer inserts 28 and 30 which extend upwardly from the lower ends of the annular stocking-supporting portions 24 to points considerably above the upper ends of such portions. More particularly, the inner inserts 28 extend upwardly to and are connected to the crotch portion 22, being slightly upwardly divergent. The outer inserts 30 are generally triangular, upwardly convergent inserts.

The major portion 32 of the panty girdle 10 (which major portion is defined as comprising all of the panty girdle except the crotch portion 22, the elastic bands 26, the inner and outer inserts 28 and 30, and an elastic waistband 34) is formed of a stretchable, elastic, knitted fabric having a relatively fine mesh. For example, as disclosed in my aforementioned copending application, this material may have forty-three openings per inch in the direction of the length of the fabric and thirty-two openings per inch in the direction of the width thereof. Such a material is commercially available under the trademark Spandex.

The inner and outer inserts 28 and 30, and the crotch portion 22, which may be formed of the same material, are formed of a stretchable, elastic, knitted fabric having a relatively coarse mesh, such as about twelve openings per inch. Such a material is commercially available under the trademark Selfedge.

With the foregoing construction, the crotch portion 22 and the inner and outer inserts 28 and 30 are relatively more stretchable than the parts of the panty girdle 10 constituting the hereinbefore-defined major portion 32 thereof. The greater stretchability of the crotch portion 22 provides greater comfort in the crotch region, while the greater stretchability of the inner and outer inserts 28 and 30 makes it easier to roll the stocking-supporting portions 24 outwardly and upwardly to permit positioning of the stocking tops thereunder.

Considering the stocking-supporting portions 24 in more detail, the parts thereof which are formed of the relatively-fine-mesh fabric mentioned are provided on their inner surfaces with inwardly protruding, elastomeric friction elements 36 frictionally engageable with the outer surfaces of the stocking tops to support the stockings on the legs of the wearer 12 with the inner surfaces of the stocking tops in direct engagement with the wearers thighs 20. The friction elements 36 may have various configurations, and are shown in the drawing as having what can best be described as a zigzag configuration.

The friction elements 36 extend entirely through the fabric forming the relatively-fine-mesh parts of the stocking-supporting portions 24, and have portions of such fabric embedded therein to securely anchor the friction elements in place. Attention is hereby directed to my aforementioned copending application for a complete disclosure of a material suitable for the friction elements 36, and to a method of forming them with portions of the fabric on which they are formed embedded therein.

Considering briefly the operation of the invention, it will be apparent that, after the panty girdle 10 has been donned by the wearer 12, the annular stocking-supporting portions 24 may readily be rolled outwardly and upwardly, due to the relatively greater stretchability of the inserts 28 and 30. After the wearer 12 has positioned her stockings on her legs, she may then secure the stockings in place readily by rolling the stocking-supporting portions 24 downwardly until they overlie the outer surfaces of the stocking tops. The inwardly protruding friction elements 36 then frictionally engage the outer surfaces of the stocking tops to support the stockings on the wearers legs with the inner surfaces of the stocking tops in direct engagement with the wearers thighs 20. The friction elements 36 provide ample support for the stockings even during strenuous physical activity on the part of the wearer 12.

Although an exemplary embodiment of the invention has been disclosed herein for purposes of illustration, it will be understood that various changes, modifications and substitutions may be incorporated in such embodiment without departing from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the claims appearing hereinafter.

I claim as my invention:

1. A stocking-supporting garment having a body portion adapted to encase at least the hips and abdomen of a wearer, having a closed crotch portion connected to said body portion, and having two leg portions connected to said body and crotch portions and adapted to encase at least the upper thighs of the wearer, said leg portions terminating at their lower ends in annular stocking-supporting portions adapted to overlie and engage the outer surfaces of the tops of stockings encasing the legs of the wearer, said annular stocking-supporting portions being formed of stretchable elastic fabric material capable of biasing the inner surfaces of the stocking tops into direct engagement with the wearers legs, and the inner surfaces of said annular stocking-supporting portions having adhering thereto inwardly protruding, elastomeric friction elements frictionally engageable with the outer surfaces of the stocking tops to support the stockings on the wearers legs with the inner surfaces of the stocking tops in direct engagement with the wearers legs.

2. A stocking-supporting garment as defined in claim 1 wherein said annular stocking-supporting portions are formed of stretchable, elastic, knitted fabric having a relatively fine mesh and include inserts of stretchable, elastic, knitted fabric having relatively coarse mesh.

3. A stocking-supporting garment according to claim 2 wherein said inserts are located on the inner sides of said leg portions of said garment.

4. A stocking-supporting garment according to claim 2 wherein said inserts are located on the outer sides of said leg portions of said garment.

5. A stocking-supporting garment according to claim 2 wherein said inserts are located on the inner and outer sides of said leg portions of said garment.

6. A stocking-supporting garment as set forth in claim 1 wherein said stretchable elastic fabric material includes threads at least some of which have portions embedded in said elastomeric friction elements.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,235,499 3/1941 Hiller 128524 3,245,410 4/1966 Martin 128-521 3,249,110 5/1966 Bryan 2-224 3,359,571 12/1967 Burke 128-535 2,748,397 6/1956 Stolzenberg 2-240 3,009,464 11/1961 Owen et al. l28536 3,130,730 4/1964 Zanca 128556 ADELE M. EAGER, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 2240; l28530, 536 

